Office-desk.



PATBNTED 0012.20, 1903.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1;

4R. HUDDLESTON. OFFICE DESK. APPLIQATION FILED Nov.19,19oz.

No MODEL.

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3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

jez/en' LOK7 PATENTED OGT. 20, 1903.

R. HUDDLESTON.

OFFICE DESK.

APPLIGATION FILED Nov. 19, 1902.

. R. HUDDLBSTON.

OFFICE DESK. APPLIUATIUN FILED Nov.19,19o2.

s SHEETS-'SHEET s.

N0 MODEL.

Jyle.

roy/X- m. KM

No. 742,'11s.

vNITE-D STATES atented ctoloer 2(1), y1909;.

PATENT OEEICE.

AROY IIUDDLEsroN, or DUBLIN, INDIANA, AssIeNoR on ONE-HALF To osoAR weEoRGE, on DUBLIN, INDIANA.

OFFICE-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 742,118, dated October 20, 1903. Application filed ITovember 19, 1902. Serial No. 131,960. (No model.)

To all 1071/0717/ t may concern.-

Beit known that I, ROY HUDDLESTON, a

' citizen of the United States, residing in the town of Dublin, in the -county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Office-Desks; and I d o hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to desks constructed and arranged in a new and novel manner with a mechanism composed of interdependent and'coperating parts arranged to be operated by hand in order to produce certain speciiicobjects, which will hereinafter appear.

The object of the presentinvention,broadly speaking, is the provision of an improved article of furniture of the class described in which is provided a rear vertically-movable section which when not needed may be depressed in order to provide a relatively large flat-top desk, a simple mechanism for operating the movable section with a minimum of time and labor, and means for slanting the forward portion of the top of the desk when desired. v Y

Another object in View is to provide a simple, durable, and positive means for imparting to a movable section of a desk a vertical movement to close the desk or tov raise and expose the front of the movable section to the operator and means for counterbalancing the weight of the movable section.

Another object is the provision of an officedesk provided with a vertically operating section composed of a minimum of parts consistent with the various operations which it is intended to perform, which will be simple in character, compact in form and construction, easily operated and maintained, and

' whereby the operator will be enabled to control the mechanism, so that its work will be performed with certainty and precision and with a minimum of time and labor devoted thereto. Y

Anotherobjectis the provision of an article of manufacture in an ofce-desk of new and 5o improved construction which can be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low price.

Other objects and advantages of myinvention will appear from the following specifica# tion and from tho drawings forming' a part thereof.

vention, showing the movable section in doty ted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of a portion-of mydesk in section. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of a portion of the movi ablel section. Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective of a portion of the under side of the top of the desk. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of my desk, taken on the line X X. of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of my desk with thel back of the desk removed to show the -interior mechanism. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view of my desk, taken on the line Y Y of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail side view ofthe inner ends of the supporting or eounterbalance arms, and Fig. 9 is a vertical view of the same. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the supporting connterbalance-standards. Fig. l1 is a perspective view of the operating-lever, and Fig. 1.2 is a perspective View of the V curved lifting-arm.

lSimilar' indices refer to and denote similar parts throughout the several views. Y In office-desks of the class usually known as roll-top the sliding cover presents an uneven surface which is useless for Work eX- cept to cover the top or working surface of the desk, occupies a great amount of valuable space, expensive to manufacture, and requires considerable time for its operation,

while in the ordinary flat-top desk no provision is made for a tiling-case, and in both of the above-named types of desks the tills are usually of unnecessary length and the working surface is not adjustable to produce either aiiat or slanting surface.

IOO

All of the above objections are overcome in the construction herein shown, in which a large working surface is provided; all the surfaces are level, yet with means for providing a slanting working surface, if desired; an adjustable tiling-case is provided which when not in use may be entirely removed from sight, yet easily brought into view when required; no useless surfaces are produced; the tills are of a reasonable length, and no valuable space is wasted.

With the exception of the operating-lever the parts located on each side of the desk are duplicates of each other and are interchangeable, and a description of the parts on one side would consequently be a description of both.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, A represents the work surface or top of my desk.

B represents the two pedestals, which are provided with tills or storage-spaces in the usual manner, with a till b between the pedestals at the top, as shown.

C represents a partition of same height as the pedestals, which connects the pedestals in the rear of the tills. The two end outside panels of the pedestals extend rearward beyond the partition C, forming rear panels H, which may be united at their rear edges by a back D.

The pedestals B, the rear panels H, and the back D are of same heightv and form the framework of the desk. Extending centrally between the lowerI portions of the back D and the partitions C is a base-board E, which extends horizontally across the space between said parts. i

F represents a vertical closure-board extending between the end panels of the desk in the rear of the partition C, the upper edge being on a level with the upper edges of the pedestals and extending down about twothirds of the distance thereof and is permanently secured in this position.

The indice G represents the movable section of my desk of a width to neatly fit between the board F and the back D and is of a length to neatly tit between the rear panels H. The section Gconsists of the vertical end members g g, the horizont-al top member G, uniting the end members at the top and extending over their upper ends sutlicient to make its length equal to the length of the top A, and the base-shelf G, secured between the end members g g. The lower ends of the members g g extend for some distance below the shelf G"for the purpose of forming guides for the section G. The section G may be supplied with pigeonholes or other form of spaces for filing purposes,asshown. When thesection Gis in the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l, the shelf G" will be ou a level with the top A, and when the section G is lowered to its extreme limit the top G will be brought on a level with the t-op A, forming a fiat-top desk, with the section G hidden from sight. In order to operate said movable section G vertically from the front of the desk, I have pro vided a mechanism whichI will now describe.

The numeral l represents a square shaft pivoted at each end in the hangers 2, which latter are secured to the lower edge of the board F, as shown in Fig. 6. Secured'on the shaft l is the operating-lever 3, which extends first downward from the shaft l and then forward at right angles when the section G is down,or forward and then upward at right angles when the section G is up. The forward end of the lever 3 is supplied with a handhold 4, extending to the left at right angles from the lever. Secured to the face of the lever 3 are two guides 5, through which operates a plunger-rod 6, parallel to the lever 3, with a handhold 7 extending therefrom at right angles thereto and parallel to the handhold et. The innerend of therod 6 extends beyond the rear hanger 5, where it is provided with a square plunger 8, somewhat larger than the rod G. Around the rod 6, between the rear hanger 5 and the plunger 8, is a resilient coil-spring 9, adapted to normally hold the plunger 8 rearward to its farthest point, as shown in Fig. 1l.

The numeral 10 represents a segmental rack, on the periphery of which are notches adapted to receive the plunger 8. The rack 10 should be secured to the partition C and project forward therefrom, so that as the lever 3 is moved up and down the plunger 8 will pass over the notches thereof, and the segmental periphery of the rack lO should be the same as that described by the plunger 8 when the lever 3 is moved from a horizontal to a vertical position. t

Secured to the shaft l near each end thereof and extending rearward and upward therefrom (when the section G is raised) are the curved arms ll. Secured on the under side of the shelf G" are the hangers 12, and pivotally mounted thereto and extending downward are the straight arms 13, the lower ends of which are pivotally connected to the upper ends of the curved arms 1l. It will now be apparent that should the section G be up, as shown in Fig. 5, the lever 3 being horizontal, if the lever 3 be now raised to a vertical position this action will turn the shaft l, carrying the rear end of the arm 1l, downward, consequently lowering the section G, and in this position the plunger 8 will engage in the upper notch of the rack 10; also, by lowering the lever 3 to a horizontal position (shown in Fig. 5) the section G will be raised to the position shown in Fig. 5 and the plunger 8 will engage in next to the lower notch of the rack lO, which will lock the section G in that position.

The top A of the desk rests loosely on the upper ends of the pedestals of the desk, "as shown, and is held in place by two offset bars 14, secured on the under side of the top A near each end of the forward part thereof, as shown-iu Fig. 2. The forward offset portions of said bars 14 are adapted to fit into cavities IOO IOS

IIO

` formed opposite thereto in the upper bar at substantially the points where-the indices fc are placed in Fig. 1.

Secured to each of the front edges of the end members g g are the outwardly and upwardly extending lugs l5, and opposite thereto in the under side of the top Aare cavities into which said lugs are adapted to enter, as shown. The position of the section G being as shown in Fig. 5, it will now be seen that should the lever 3 be pressed dow-n and the plunger 8 made to lengage in the lower notch of the rack 10 the section G will be brought up a slight distance farther, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, by'which movement the lugs will raise the rear edge of the top A to the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 and by which a slightly-slanting surface is given to the top A.

In order to counterbalance the weight of the section G, so that its movements up and down may be accomplished with alacrity and ease, I have provided a mechanism which I will now describe. Secured near the lower ends of the inner faces of the end members g g are the hangers 16, in which are revolubly mounted the rollers 17, which latter are provided with a channel formed into their peripheries. 18 represents levers, the upper edges of the outer ends of which are adapted to travel in the channels in the rollers 17, andl they then extend inward and downward,with their inner ends pivotally united in the center by a bolt 19, as shown in Fig. 6, and around the bolt 19 between the levers 18 is a washer 20, adapted to keep thelevers 18 slightly separated. Formed into the upper edges ofthe le# vers 18 are notches 21 on alinement with each otherand directly above the bolt 19. Into the lower edges of the levers 18, near their inner ends, are a plurality of notches t, u, and @,substantially of the form and in the positions shown. Secured to and rising from the baseboard E at points directly below the notches u are the standards 22, with notches 23 extending into the upper ends thereof of a width su fiicient to receive the levers 18, which are placed therein, so that the notches 23 will engage in the notches u, as shown in Fig. 6. In the center of the base-board E, directly under the bolt 19, is secured vertically a resilient coilspring 24, with the upper end thereof secured in the notches 21 of the levers 18 and with its tension pulling downward thereon suiii' cient to' nearly raise the section G, so that only a slight effort need be applied to the lever 3 in order to operate said section G. As the section G is moved up and down the outer ends of the levers 18 will travel in the channels ofthe rollers 17, thus reducing the friction thereof to a minimum.

In order to increase the power of the spring 24, the standards 22 may be sprung apart to engage in the notches t,or to reduce the power of said spring the standards may be sprung toward each other to engage in the notches fu.

To further reduce the friction of the secl.tion G when being raised or lowered, Ipro-V. vide grooves 25, which extend vertically in the center outer surfaces of the members g g, and opposite thereto are rolles 26, mounted on axles secured to the inner faces of the rear panels H in such a manner that the peripheries of said rollers 26 may contact with the sides of the grooves 25, substantially as shown in Fig. 7.

My invention is perfectly adapted to accomplish the results for whiohit is intended,

spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of its many advantages, and the specific construction of the variousdetails of my mechanism in which novel features are embodied may be variously changed withoutV altering the essential principles which are claimed as new.

The terms upward, downward, front, rear,4 and other similar terms are used for convenience of description, and it is notintended by their use to limit the arrangement of the several parts to the specific positions indicated; but they may be variously changed and modified to suit the various requirements of different types of desks.

I wish'it to be distinctly understood that I do not dedicate any part of my invention to roo' the public and that I wish adequate and just I protection for every feature of my invention and the various parts herein shown and def scribed that are new and'useful and which involve invention. f

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

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the operation of my invention will be readily understood and its many advantages be fully appreciated, and I will simply state that the device, by reason of its simplicity, lightness,

attractiveness, increased capacity and usefulness, and easeand efficiency of operation,

will prove a useful and practical invention.

Having now fully shown and described my invention and the best mode for its construc-v tiony to me known at this time, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Pat- Y Y ent of the United States, is

1. In a pedestal fiat-top desk the combination, of a movable section mounted in the rear of the pedestals adapted to be moved vertically, a closure-board F in the rear of thepartition C and parallel therewith, a shaft 1 i mounted to the lower edge of the closurer ver 3 connected to the shaft 1 and projectingthrough the partition C, and means for locking said lever in various positions, all substantially as shown and described.

2. In an office-desk, the combination with a rearward vertically-movable filing-section mounted behind the pedestals, of a counterhalancin g mechanism located below the movable section and connected thereto, consist- V ing of the hangers 16 secured to the inner faces of the lower ends of the end members g g with rollers 17 mounted in said hangers, a pair of downwardly and inwardly projecting levers 1S contacting at their outer ends with the under sides of said rollers and united at their inner ends by a bolt 19, said levers 18 having notches formed in their under sides, the standards 22 secured to the base E with notches 23 in their upper ends adapted to engage in said notches in the levers 1S, the coil-spring 2st secured to the base E and engaging the inner ends of the levers 18, and the washer 20 separating the inner ends of the levers 18, all substantially as described.

3. In an office-desk, a movable section mounted in the rear of lthe pedestals ot` the desk and provided with a base-shelf above the lower ends of its end members, a closureboard extending between the rear of the pedestals and the movable section, the normally flat top A of the desk resting on the top ofthe pedestals, the said top having cavities formed in its under side near its rear edge, lugs with upwardly-projecting points secured to the front edges of the movable section slightly below its hase-shelf, means for raising and lowering the movable section and the rear edge of the top A from between the pedestals and a counterbalancing mechanism located below the movable section and adapted to operate thereon, all substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROY HUDDLES'ION.

Vitnesses:

OscAR W. GEORGE, R. W. HANDLE. 

